WASHINGTON (AP) — A former Republican Texas congressman Will Hurt She suspended her presidential bid on Monday and endorsed fellow GOP primary candidate Nikki Haley, officially abandoning a brief campaign. Built on criticism of Donald Trump His party seems still determined to embrace the former president.
“While I appreciate all the time and energy our supporters have given, it is important to recognize the realities of the political landscape and the need to unify our party around one person to defeat both Donald Trump and President Biden,” Hurt wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Haley, a former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations under Trump and governor of South Carolina, said, “Donald Trump has shown a willingness to present a different vision for the country and an unparalleled understanding of our foreign policy issues. “
When she announced her run in late June, Hurt was the last major candidate to join an already crowded Republican primary field. He dropped out of the race after three months, failing to gain traction as a pragmatic moderate who had promised to leave the party. Trump’s “Make America Great Again” movement. Hurt Failed to qualify For both First GOP debate in Milwaukee in August and a second debate next month in Simi Valley, California.
“America is at a crossroads and it’s time to make Joe Biden a one-term president,” Haley wrote on X in response to Hurt’s endorsement. “Thanks @wilhard For your support and trust. There is a country to save!”
Hurt has ended his campaign and is going after another Republican candidate, Miami Mayor Francis Suarez. The first presidential hopeful to suspend his campaign Shortly after losing the first debate stage.
Hurt was not invited to the Milwaukee event because of minimal support from the Republican National Committee in the election and insufficient donors to his campaign.
Hurt initially protested missing the first debate, arguing that the Republican Party’s refusal to sign pledges for its presidential nominees prevented him, even if it was Trump. The RNC standards are “arbitrary, vague and inconsistent. This is an unacceptable act for the presidential election,” he said in his statement.
When he didn’t make the second debate, Hurd struck a different tone, writing in X, “We’ve narrowly missed the cut for the second debate, and our campaign is at an inflection point.”
An undercover CIA officer who served in Pakistan, Hurd served three terms in the House through January 2021 and was the chamber’s only black Republican during his last two years in office. He represented Texas’ then-most competitive district, which is heavily Hispanic and stretches from the outskirts of San Antonio to El Paso, more than 800 miles along the Texas-Mexico border.
Hurt decided not to seek re-election in 2020, saying he would pursue opportunities outside of Congress to “address the issues between technology and national security.” Last year, he toured the country promoting his book, “American Reboot: An Idealist’s Guide to Getting Big Things Done.”
The 46-year-old has long been a staunch Trump opponent, encouraging the then-Republican presidential nominee to drop out of the 2016 race. “Access Hollywood” tab Trump’s brag about sexually assaulting women was made public in the final weeks before Election Day.
Hurd hoped to resonate with voters looking for a pro-business Republican with a strong national security background. He announced his candidacy criticizing both Biden and Trump, saying the president was unprepared to secure the US-Mexico border, fight fentanyl trafficking, which has led to US overdoses and violent crime and homelessness in the nation’s cities.
“President Biden can’t — or won’t — solve these problems,” Hurd said in his announcement video. “And we all know that if we nominate a lawless, self-serving, failed politician like Donald Trump — who lost the House, the Senate and the White House — Joe Biden will win again.”
Hurt has stepped up her public criticism of Trump as the former president faces repeated accusations. Four separate criminal cases and 91 total charges. Trump still holds a fundraising advantage and leads in early primary polls.
As a result, some of Hurd’s most memorable moments as a White House candidate came when he was booed by Republicans who repeatedly insisted that Trump would lose to Biden in the general election if he won the GOP nomination.
“Donald Trump is running to stay out of jail,” Hurd announced at one o’clock July GOP dinner in Iowa. When shouted down, he replied, “Listen, I know the truth is hard.”
